Whilst we held prices in 2006 on our schools days, we will have to increase slightly in 2007 to offer you the same level of service. Therefore from the 1st February all Silverstone Stowe and Rockingham days will rise by 20. What this does mean however, is that if you book before midnight on the 31st January, you will still receive the old price.
Dates in April are filling fast with the 16th April now sold out. The 17th is very low on upper levels but we have some Level 1 availability left. Spaces are filling for both Silverstone and Rockingham in May.
If you have been meaning to come along for a while, make 2007 the year you do it! Click here for a full schedule
www.superbikeschool.co.uk/schedule or call the office on 08700 671061.
Hire Bikes - 2007 Yamaha's:We are taking delivery of our new Yamaha R6 and R1's for 2007. We have a fleet of 2007 R6 hire bikes available on our school days for you to rent. If you want to do a school and use one of our beautifully prepared Dunlop Qualifier shod R6's, give the office a call. These bikes get booked up fast so be sure to reserve your's early. 199 per day - a 500 Crash damage deposit is required on the day but this is just a swipe of your credit/debit card. Should you drop the bike you will only pay for the damage caused up to 500.
In addition to the R6 bikes we have added a 2007 R1 to the fleet - this is only available to Level 4 students. Hire the bike for 199 plus Crash damage deposit for the whole day or try the bike on the day for 45 per session. Please note: sessions on the R1 hire bike can only be booked on the day subject to availability and a crash damage deposit will be payable. To book please call the office on 08700 671061.
Fast Bikes March issue:Get a free 148 page book with extracts from our very own Andy Ibbott's offering 'Performance Riding Techniques' and John Reynolds Autobiography. Once you've read these extracts you will want the whole deal. Performance Riding Techniques is available to buy in our online shop, link below.
R&G Tail Tidy offer:Our sister company MAL are offering a free 'show sign' for your bike when purchased alongside an R&G tail tidy. If you're busy planning what to add on to your existing bike or if you're lucky enough to have a new bike on order for this season, then you won't go far wrong checking out MAL's website. Go to
www.mal.biz to find out more.
Caffe Latte 250 and 125GP training - First test Jan 2007 JerezComing to Spain in the middle of January the weather can be a little bit unpredictable and therefore the testing can be both productive and counter productive. The threat can be that the rider pushes a little bit too hard and crashes and is then injured for the first race of the season. By the same token if the rider is not running good lap times then the test is pointless. Its a catch 22 situation.
Thomas Day One:With the weather switching from cold to rain Thomas only did 10 laps but in that time there was plenty to see and plenty of work to be done. The main issues were coming from last years riding and that of the 125 which has very high corner entry speed but little acceleration on the exit. The 250 requires a slower entry and using more of the bikes power and torque to exit quicker. Its not easy to get a rider to go in slower!
At the end of the 10 laps Thomas was quickest of all the riders but the data logger showed clearly that he was too late on the throttle because of the high entry speed. Of course, this is relative to the size of bike. Thomas finished the day as the fastest rider.
Sandro Day One:Fifth fastest but also with work to do. The Aprilia 125 is a very different machine to the Honda of last year. The seating position is designed for top speed with aggressive cuts in the tank to keep the rider tight behind the fairing. This creates a problem for the rider when he has to lock into the fuel tank in the corner as the back of the tank pushes the riders leg away instead on into the tank. Working on this by getting Sandro to move further back in the seat) the exact opposite technique was needed on the Honda) it improved but a new tank would be a much better solution.
Thomas Day Two:With much better weather there was more time for longer sessions and improvements. The first thing to work was the braking technique. Thomas first needed to have really well defined braking markers for us to work from, without these it would be hard to improve, you cannot change what you dont know after all. Once sorted then the actually braking method was improved allowing a slower entry speed without having to brake earlier.
Now it was time to work the line to fit the 250 style. Effectively this was based on the 2 step drill from Level one as in the 125 this was not as critical as it is now with the bigger bike. As ever Thomas adapted quickly and set the second fastest time of the day, ahead of World Champion Lorenzo.
Sandro Day Two:Getting quicker as the day went on the faster turns at Jerez proved to be the biggest challenge to Sandro. As ever, the key to speed is based, ultimately, in the eyes and what and when you see things. If the eyes dwell too long in one place then the throttle control is affected. Moving the eyes to the right place at the right time creates the space a rider needs to be better with the throttle. Last year there was always a hesitation showing on Sandros throttle data logging graph, this has now gone but the drive to full throttle is weaker and the next stage of improvement needed.
Thomas Day Three:Waking up in the morning the weather was cold and damp so no-one got out on their bikes until gone 3 oclock in the afternoon!
As the track was so cold it was not likely that the riders would get anywhere close to the times of the previous day. Someone should have told the riders that as the pace was just as hot!
Refinement was the leading point with Thomas and we used a little rear brake in-between turns one and two to keep the front wheel on the ground so the bike was more stable on the brakes into turn two. It worked but as it was a double right combination it was difficult to get the foot in the right place in time. So, a retiming of the Level 2 drill, the Pick Up and it was sorted and comfortable. Despite a small lowside as the temperature dropped Thomas set the second fastest pace of the day again.
Sandro Day Three:Sandro still had several areas that needed improving, most of them based around the timing of his visual skills. 2 step timing is the key on this one and although it was better work is needed over the coming weekend in Valencia. This track really does challenge the eyes to the limit as the many blind crests can affect a good lap. The data logging graphs confirmed the issue with the throttle coming on but not being applied briskly enough in the turn. Another throttle point is related to the pick up drill which is much improved over last season but still not quite right. Another two days of practicing these points will bring him back up to speed and into the top ten where he belongs.
Sandro finished 10th:With a new team in place and new Aprilias for both riders. The three days were not just about riding but learning how the team would interact with each other. I have to say that the level of information and communication for me with the chief mechanics is unbelievable. The team believes in working as a whole rather than individuals and this is a refreshing change from the last two seasons where information sharing was, err, lacking. It is always a fine line as both rider and bike have to be able to work together, if one is out then the other doesnt perform well. And yet some manufacturers believe that it is all about the bike and coaching of the rider is not needed or even wanted
Related Linkswww.superbikeschool.co.uk
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